


is he still queer?

by whizzer_wins



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual! Mendel, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Good dad! Marvin, Healthy Relationships, Instagram, M/M, Post-Divorce, Reuinions, Trans Male Character, Trans! Whizzer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-12 20:06:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11744232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whizzer_wins/pseuds/whizzer_wins
Summary: When he was twenty years old, Whizzer Brown met the closeted gay man Marvin. After being college roommates for a too-short period of time before going their separate ways, they thought they would never cross paths again. The last time they saw each other was at Marvin's very straight wedding.Now, 10 years later, through mutual friends and family, they are reunited. Marvin, now a thirty-one year-old openly gay actor, living in his ex-wife's house and sharing a bedroom with his son, Whizzer a thirty year-old struggling photographer, living with his lesbian friends.Whizzer always knew Marvin was gay, but never thought Marvin would accept himself.When the two finally reunite after 10 years, they realise how much they have changed as people and how many opportunities they missed in college.





	1. 25th June, 2017: Homosexuals, Women With Children & Short Insomniacs

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am only 1/4 Jewish and I live in England and I'm trying to write about Jewish Americans so some of it will probably be inaccurate.

_**25 th June 2017, 1:30 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

“CORDELIA!”

The sound of Whizzer's voice echoed throughout the whole house. Cordelia sighed and stopped stirring the cake mixture. She set the bowl down on the kitchen table and made her way upstairs to Whizzer's room, opening the door.

“What did you want?” she asked. “I was in the middle of making the cake that _you_ requested. This had better be important.”

Whizzer was lying on his bed, phone in hand, staring blankly at the ceiling. He obviously hadn't moved for a long time and appeared to be in a state of shock.

Cordelia cleared her throat in case he hadn't heard her. “Seriously, Whiz. What's up?”

Upon hearing his friend's voice, he slowly rolled onto his side, then slowly sat up on the bed, sitting cross-legged and facing Cordelia, staring at her.

She sighed and sat down next to him. “Whizzer, are you going to say anything? It's starting to feel like I'm talking to myself.”

Whizzer remained silent as he passed his phone over to her. She looked down at the screen. The screen showed an Instagram profile.

“Whizzer, are you stalking some guy on Instagram again?” she asked. “I'm very disappointed in you.”

“It was one time, Delia.” he said. He leaned over and pointed at the post he had been trying to show her. “Look at the photo and tell me what you see.”

She shrugged and looked back at the screen. The photo showed two men and a child, one man wrapped in a bi flag, the other with rainbow face paint, the smiling child sat on his shoulders. Realisation washed over her as she recognised them.

“That's Marvin,” she said, “your college roommate.”

“Exactly,” Whizzer confirmed.

“What's the big deal, then?” she asked. “Shocked that he has Instagram?”

Whizzer rolled his eyes. “You're really not getting this, Delia. It's _Marvin._ ”

She looked at him. “What about Marvin?”

He groaned loudly and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. “He's at a fucking _pride parade,_ Delia! He's wearing fucking rainbow face paint. MARVIN'S GAY.” He groaned again, letting go of Cordelia and let himself fall back onto the bed, only sitting up when he heard Cordelia's hysterical laughter. “What's so funny?”

“Are you serious?” She giggled. “We all knew he was gay, Whiz. Didn't you?”

Whizzer stared at her blankly. “Last time I saw Marvin he was a twenty-one year old father and was getting married to a woman. Last time I fucking saw him was at his _extremely straight_ wedding to a human of the female variety. Men who marry women generally aren't gay, Cordelia.”

She laughed again. “Whizzer, Marvin and Trina divorced three years later when Marvin came out. Trina remarried last year. Did you seriously not know about any of this?”

Whizzer slowly shook his head. “I kind of lost interest when he told me he was straight.”

“Oh my god, that is not true,” Cordelia cackled. “You spent a whole fucking year trying to get in his pants.”

“That's why this is so mortifying,” he said. “He was gay the whole time and I missed my chance.”

“You know Marvin's still alive and single, right?” she asked. “Don't worry, Whiz, there's plenty of time for you to fulfil your dreams of fucking him.”

“Very funny,” he rolled his eyes before taking another look at the picture. “I recognise his kid but not the bi dude. Do you know him?”

Cordelia nodded. “Mendel Weisenbachfeld. Trina's husband.”

“He went to pride with his ex-wife's new husband?”

“Apparently.”

They were silent for a while, both staring at the photo and appreciating how happy they looked.

“Does Trina have a thing for queer guys?” Whizzer asked, breaking the silence.

Cordelia laughed, punching him in the shoulder. “Leave Trina alone. She's wonderful.”

“She never liked me,” Whizzer said, confused.

“That's because you wouldn't stop hitting on her boyfriend.”

“Come on, he loved it.”

Cordelia smiled. “And that's exactly why Trina didn't like you.”

 

\- - -

 

_**25 th June 2017, 2:00 PM, New York City Pride** _

 

“You're getting heavy, kid.” Marvin lifted Jason off his shoulders, setting his son's feet down on the ground and taking his hand as they continued walking.

Jason shrugged. “I'm still going to force you to carry me sometimes,” he gave his father a cheeky grin.

“Of course you are,” Marvin shook his head and laughed.

Marvin stopped walking when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Mendel, panting and sweating. He dropped to the floor and sat cross-legged in the middle of the path, taking off his bisexual pride flag, folding it up and flapping it around, attempting to use it as a fan. He lay down on his back and held the flag above his head and kept fanning himself. His arm dropped to his side, staring up at Marvin and Jason, who were standing over him and giving him funny looks.

“What? You couldn't wait for me?” He asked once he'd got his breath back.

Marvin offered Mendel a hand, helping him up. “No, you just couldn't keep up.”

“Plus that guy was flirting with you,” Jason chimed in. “We didn't want to be a part of that.”

Marvin laughed, remembering the awkward situation him and Jason had left Mendel in. “How did that go, by the way?”

Mendel sighed. “Not funny, guys. I told him I'm married,” he flashed them his wedding ring. “He lost interest and left.”

“He was actually interested in the first place?” Jason asked. “Wow, that's surprising.”

Marvin threw his head back in laughter, offering Jason a fist bump, which the kid happily accepted.

Mendel sighed and folded his arms across his chest, giving the two a disappointed look. “Jeez, if I knew you two would be roasting me all day, I would have never come.”

Marvin gave him a sideways smile. “Come on Mendel, it's Jason's first pride. He wanted both his gay dads to come.”

“First of all, I'm bisexual-” Mendel started.

“I wanted to go with Charlotte and Cordelia,” Jason said. “They were both busy and you two were the next best thing.”

Both men snorted with laughter, wondering who had taught Jason to be such a savage.

“Come on,” Mendel took Jason's other hand. “Let's get home. Trina will be wondering where we are.”

 

“We're back,” Mendel smiled at his wife as she opened the door for them. Trina immediately pulled him into a kiss upon seeing him. Marvin nudged Jason to get his attention and mimed throwing up. Jason laughed and did the same thing in a more exaggerated way, making Marvin erupt with laughter. They took turns, seeing who could make the most over-the-top puking face.

Trina cleared her throat as Marvin was mid-fake puke. He looked up at her and smiled innocently. “We love you, Trina,” he tried.  
She shook her head, but laughed. “You're such a child.”

“He learned from the best,” said Jason, gesturing to himself.

Trina rolled her eyes and welcomed them all inside, holding the door for them and closing it once they were all in the house. Jason immediately unzipped his backpack, tipping the contents onto the table.

“What did he bring back?” Trina asked Marvin in a whisper.

“A 12-year-old girl with lesbian parents gave him a bunch of rainbow candy,” Marvin said. “To be honest, I think he was more interested in the girl than the candy. He spent a hell of a lot of time talking to her.”

Trina shrugged. “This is coming from the guy who didn't know two of his best friends had a crush on him ten years ago.”

Marvin thought for a moment, his face scrunching up in confusion. “Two? Who was the other?”  
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Do I have to spell it out for you?” She laughed again when Marvin nodded sheepishly. “ _Whizzer. Fucking. Brown.”_

Marvin laughed. “Whizzer? He didn't like me. He was just kidding. That boy flirted with anything that could move.” He paused for a moment. “Any male thing that could move. And sometimes female if he wanted a job or for her to do his work for him.”

“He liked you _a lot,_ Marvin.”

Marvin focused his attention on his son again, not knowing what to do with this new information. He looked at Jason, who was on the couch with Mendel, both of them eating the endless pile of rainbow candy from Jason's bag.

Trina muttered something about the both of them getting cavities before exiting the room to start making dinner. Mendel jumped up from his spot on the couch and followed Trina in the kitchen. Marvin could hear them arguing – Mendel insisted that it was his turn to make dinner, Trina told him that she wanted to make dinner, Mendel reminded her that he'd been out all day and wanted to help, etc, etc, etc.

Marvin sank into Mendel's previous spot on the couch and turned to Jason. “Their relationship disgusts me,” he said.

Jason handed him a piece of candy. “Sugar helps distract the mind.”

Marvin laughed and popped the candy in his mouth and picked a handful out of Jason's bag, stuffing it all in his mouth. “They're so in love it makes me sick,” he said through mouthfuls of candy.

“It probably shouldn't make you sick,” Jason informed him. “I mean, you were never attracted to mom and you like Mendel as a person so it shouldn't really make you sick to see them together.”

Marvin shrugged. “Well, you don't like seeing them together, either.”

“She's my mother,” Jason said. “I have an excuse. You don't, or at least not that I know of.” Jason turned around on the couch, crossing his legs and facing his dad. “Wanna talk about it?”

“What is this? Candy therapy?” Marvin laughed.

Jason nodded, a serious expression on his face as he threw two handfuls of candy at his father. “Candy therapy.”

Marvin chewed on another piece of candy. “So, what do you think it might be?”

Jason straightened his back, trying to look professional. He chewed thoughtfully on a whole handful of candy. “Sir, I might have to diagnose you with a severe case of jealousy. You haven't been on a date for two years. Maybe you really just want a relationship like theirs.”

Marvin thought for a moment. “No, that can't be it. Any other ideas?”

Jason shook his head. “No, sir. Candy therapy over. Only one diagnosis per session.”

“Damn it.”

 

\- - -

 

_**25 th June 2017, 5 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

Whizzer pushed the living room door open and peeked his head around the door to see Charlotte and Cordelia curled up on the couch, watching TV. He pulled his blanket tighter over the shoulders and entered the room, walking around the couch and standing in front of the lesbians.

“Move,” he said. The two women sighed and each moved to opposite sides of the couch, letting him sit between them. He let out a long sigh and stretched across the couch, putting his head on the cushion in Cordelia's lap and his feet up on the armrest on Charlotte's side of the couch.

“You still in shock?” Cordelia asked, playing with her best friend's hair. Whizzer nodded slowly. “People change, Whiz. You have to accept that he's not the same super-closeted guy you used to know.”

Charlotte looked over at the two in confusion. “Who are we talking about?”

Cordelia reached over and took her girlfriend's hand, smiling. “Whizzer found out his college crush is really fucking gay.”

“How did you even find out?” Charlotte asked. The question was directed at Whizzer, but she held Cordelia's gaze the whole time, squeezing her hand and returning her smile.

“He was stalking him on Instagram,” Cordelia explained, making Charlotte laugh.

“I was not,” Whizzer pouted.

Cordelia mouthed, “He was,” to her girlfriend.

“I saw that,” Whizzer said. “He showed up in my suggested. I saw one of the posts. It was very gay and had rainbows so I clicked it.”  
“Of course you did,” said Charlotte. “Who is this guy, anyway?”

“Trina's ex,” Cordelia told her. “You remember Trina, right? She's Jason's mom.”  
Charlotte thought for a moment. “Jason's such a sweet kid. He's the overenthusiastic one at your children’s cooking class, right?”

“That's the one,” Cordelia laughed.

“I'm pretty sure I told you about Trina's situation,” Charlotte reminded Whizzer. “Remember when I was still working as a receptionist? At the children's clinic? The parents used to talk to me all the time. I came home and told you about Trina's story.”

Whizzer thought for a moment, remembering.

 

_**17 th March 2011, 5 PM, Charlotte and Cordelia's apartment** _

 

_Whizzer curled up on the couch, a half-empty box of tissues on the coffee table in front of him. He had been crashing at the lesbians' place for about a week, since his boyfriend had dumped him and kicked him out of the house. He had spent the whole week crying, sleeping and watching the live Broadway recording of Rent on repeat._

_He looked up as the door opened and Charlotte entered the room. He immediately sat up and dried his eyes with the sleeve of his ex-boyfriend's hoodie._

_Charlotte sat down next to him, bringing him into a warm hug. “Whizzer, stop wearing his hoodie,” she said. “It'll only remind you of him.”_

_Whizzer obediently pulled the hoodie off over his head and threw it on the floor. Charlotte stood up and walked into her and Cordelia's shared bedroom, walking out a minute later holding a large, fluffy hoodie. “Wear this instead,” she said. “My mom left it here last time she visited.” She handed Whizzer the hoodie. He pulled it over his head and smiled. It was warm and it smelled like Charlotte's parents' house – a strong scent of coffee hung over it. It reminded him of the annual visits to Charlotte's family home, the smiles of her family and the big breakfasts they made._

_Charlotte pulled the blanket away from Whizzer and wrapped it around the both of them. She let him snuggle up to her and bury his face in her shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around her as he cried. She hugged him tight, rubbing his back and whispering words of reassurance to him._

“ _Hey, Whizzer,” she said. “I've got another gay story for you.”_

_The man perked up slightly at this, pulling away from her and drying his eyes, looking at her expectantly._

_Charlotte laughed but continued, “Well, you know how the mothers always talk to me while their kids get weighed and stuff?” Whizzer nodded. “Well, this one woman today brought in her son. He was about four or five. Well, I asked about family life and she said she recently got divorced. I told her I was sorry and she said, 'Oh, it's alright. My husband was extremely gay. It was for the best.' I told her that I'm also extremely gay and she said we'd probably get along.”_

“ _She sounds nice,” Whizzer smiled weakly. “What was her name?”_

“ _Trina,” Charlotte answered. “Her son was called Jason.”_

“ _I knew a Trina once,” Whizzer said. “But her husband was very straight.”_

_Charlotte pulled Whizzer into another hug, kissing him on the cheek. “Come on, wanna help me burn your ex's hoodie?”_

 

\- - -

 

_**25 th June 2017, 7 PM, The Weisenbachfeld House** _

 

“Dad!” Jason ran into the room, holding a large, plastic box. “Mendel and mom found some of your old stuff in the basement.” He placed the box down on the table. “Mom said I could look through some of these if you said so.”

Marvin pried the lid of the box, lifting out a book and blowing the dust off it. He opened to the first page. “It's a photo album,” he observed.

“From 2007,” Jason said. “You were in college.”

Marvin smiled, closing the photo album. “2007, huh? That was… a year.”

“It was the year we got married, dear,” Trina said, creeping up behind him and flicking the back of his head. She sat next to Marvin at the table and helped herself to the photo album, flicking through it and laughing to herself.

“It's not like I need to remember that anymore,” Marvin complained.

Trina rolled her eyes. “Ah, yes. It was such a burden for you.” She laughed at Marvin's shocked face. “I'm kidding, Marv. The marriage lasted three years. We're both over it.”

Marvin snatched the photo album from Trina, opening it at the first page. The photos all had titles, written under the photos in sharpie.

“Is that Cordelia?” Jason pointed to one of the photos. It showed Cordelia, her blonde hair frizzy and chin-length, kissing a smiling man on the cheek. The man had dyed his hair rainbow and Cordelia had rainbow face paint on her cheek. The photo was titled _Flaming Homosexuals_ , written in pink sharpie, a heart and a pride flag doodled on either side of the title.

“Is that Whizzer?” Marvin asked Trina, who nodded and smiled at him. Marvin stared at the photo. They were clearly at a pride event, pride flags in the background.

“Who's Whizzer?” Jason asked. “Also, what kind of name is Whizzer?”

“Shh,” Trina said. “Don't be disrespectful.”

Jason turned the page, revealing a photo titled _The Happy Couple_ , written in blue sharpie, a smiley face drawn next to it. The photo showed Marvin and Trina, his arm loosely wrapped around her shoulders. They were both smiling, but looked very clearly dead inside.

Jason snorted with laughter upon reading the title. “Yeah, dad, you look _real_ happy.”

Marvin laughed. “Shut up. You weren't even born. You don't know if I was happy.”

“He wasn't happy,” Trina said.

Marvin cleared his throat and turned the page again. He almost choked on his own saliva upon seeing the photo. He turned the page again, making sure no one else saw the photo. Trina noticed and pried the photo album out of his hands, turning the page back and erupting in a fit of laughter. She passed the photo album over to her son, who started laughing, too. “Dad, you look really pretty,” he said.

The photo showed Marvin in one of Trina's old dresses. He had a flower pot on his head and one hand rested on his hip, the other one holding a half-empty bottle of _something,_ he assumed it was alcohol. The photo was titled _Who is she?_

Marvin laughed too, turning the page. “Very funny. I was clearly drunk.”

Marvin smiled when he saw the next page. There was an overhead title that read _Whizzer's Top Surgery (A Three-Part Mini Opera.)_ There were three photos on the page. The first photo showed Marvin and Cordelia, hugging Whizzer in a waiting room of some kind. The second photo showed Whizzer asleep after surgery, Marvin smiling and holding his hand. The third, and final, photo showed Whizzer and Marvin in their dorm room. Whizzer was shirtless, a wide smile on his face. Marvin was holding him from behind, his arms around the other boy's waist and kissing his cheek.

Marvin blushed at the sight of the third photo. “I'd say that never happened, but I guess there's photographic evidence.”

Trina laughed. “Marvin, this was while we were engaged.”

“Nothing happened!” He objected. “Whizzer thought I was straight.”

“Yeah, because that looks heterosexual,” Jason gestured to the third photo. “And you're holding hands in the second photo. And you're pretty close in the first one, too.”

“My whole family thinks I'm gay,” Marvin started singing in a low voice, hoping nobody would hear.

Jason laughed. “Dad, you _are_ gay. That song is in no way relevant to this situation.” He looked at the photos again. “A three-part mini opera?”

“It was an inside joke,” Trina explained. She laughed at the photos once more before turning the page. “Aww, look.” She pointed at a photo of her and Cordelia titled _The Girls._ Trina's arm was around Cordelia and they were both smiling widely. “This was after I found out I was pregnant with you,” she told Jason. “Notice how it's a picture of me and Delia, rather than me and your dad. He was off with Whizzer, and unsurprisingly, he was also the last to know about the pregnancy.”

“We all made mistakes in college,” Marvin said. “Mine was pretending to be straight.”

“And mine was agreeing to marry you,” Trina smiled sweetly.

Marvin rolled his eyes. “Come on, I was a pretty great husband.”

Trina cocked an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

“I bought you pizza that one time!” Marvin attempted to defend himself.

Jason snorted. “ _Hey, remember that one time I did that one nice thing for you?_ ” He mimicked Marvin's voice.

“Yeah, let's end this conversation here,” Marvin laughed, turning the page. His smile dropped when he saw the next photo: Marvin and Whizzer, both dressed in suits, embracing at Marvin and Trina's wedding. There were visible tears in both of their eyes. They were weeping and holding on to each other as if the whole world was falling apart. Marvin felt tears brimming in his own eyes as he read the title, _Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow_ , written in black sharpie, a broken heart drawn next to it. He felt Trina's hand on his shoulder. They locked eyes momentarily, in a moment of understanding. Marvin and Trina did not agree on many things but they could both very easily agree that Marvin was still not over Whizzer.

Jason looked over the photo. He ran his fingers over the title. “Shakespeare,” he said. “Romeo and Juliet.”

“That's right, kid,” Marvin said. “Act two, scene two. Don't ask how I know that.”

“Why didn't you see each other again?” Jason asked after a moment. “You were only twenty-one, right? Didn't you have more time together?”

Marvin shook his head. “I decided to go to law school for some weird reason. Whizzer had decided to study art. We went our separate ways.”  
“Why didn't you trade phone numbers or something?” Jason asked.

Marvin stared at Jason. Why hadn't he and Whizzer traded phone numbers? “Uh...” he started.

“Because they were idiots,” Trina said. “They were desperately in love with each other and neither of them were smart enough to work it out. Marvin was hopelessly closeted but everyone knew he was gay. It was painful to watch.”

“You knew?” Marvin asked. “And you still married me?”

“You eventually came out,” she said. “It all worked out fine.” She turned to the final page of the photo album. The picture showed Marvin, Trina, Whizzer and Cordelia, all cuddling together under a tree. Marvin, dressed in his wedding tuxedo, his suit jacket draped over one shoulder, had his left arm around Trina, in her wedding dress, her pregnant belly starting to show, and his right arm around Whizzer, who had taken his tie off and had his head on Marvin's shoulder, smiling but obviously trying not to cry. Cordelia had her arm around Whizzer and, despite being just a bridesmaid and a caterer for the wedding, appeared to be the happiest person in the photo. The photo was titled _The Tight-Knit Family (ft. unborn baby, the newest addition to the tight-knit fam)_

“Hey, I'm in this one,” Jason pointed to Trina's pregnant belly in the photo. He looked over the photo again, reading the title. “Tight-Knit Family. I like it.”

Trina pulled Jason into a hug and kissed him on the head, leading him out of the room to get some food, leaving Marvin alone, staring at the photo, wondering how ten years had passed so quickly.


	2. 26th June 2017: Everyone Tells Marvin He Has Bad Taste In Men (Alternatively: I came out to my parents when they discovered gay porn on my computer)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whizzer is a mess when he's in shock, Marvin drinks (coffee) to forget, Cordelia loves to embarrass Whizzer and Mendel is an awkward shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYYEEE I WROTE SOMETHING  
> look at me. i got off my depressed and dysphoric ass and actually wrote words. i'm so proud of me  
> this is lowkey really bad but hey it's a thing that exists on the internet now

_**25 th June 2017, 8:30 PM, The Weisenbachfeld House** _

 

Marvin thundered down the stairs after helping Mendel clear out both the attic and the basement. Mendel had given up half an hour previously, but Marvin had continued searching through boxes in the attic until he found something that gave him an idea.

He leaped into the living room, perching on the armrest next to Trina on the couch. “Guess who has a date tonight!” He exclaimed. The three others groaned and Marvin's face fell. “What?”

“No offence, dad,” Jason was the first one to speak up. “But you have _really_ bad taste in men.”

Marvin gasped. “That is not true. I can't believe you would accuse me of that. I have great taste in men.”

Trina rolled her eyes. “The last guy you dated tried to burn down the house.”

“Irrelevant,” Marvin said. “I'm gonna ask you again: guess who has a date tonight.”

“You?” Mendel asked, looking up from his book.

“WRONG!” Marvin yelled. He grabbed Trina and Mendel by the hands and pulled them up. “It's you two. Me and Jason are having some father-son bonding time.”

“We are?” Jason asked.

“Yes,” Marvin nodded. He pushed Mendel and Trina out of the room. “Get changed,” he told them. “I got you Hamilton tickets.” Mendel and Trina's eyes widened at this. Marvin shook his head. “Just kidding, no one can get Hamilton tickets. You're seeing Waitress in like an hour so get the fuck ready.” He shoved them into their bedroom and closed the door behind them, then sat down next to Jason on the couch.

“Why are you being so nice?” Jason asked? “You're acting really weird.”

Marvin looked offended. “This is me. I'm fun. I'm a fun dad and a fun ex-husband and a fun friend. I'm really fun. I buy people tickets to Broadway musicals and I take people to pride and I stay at home with my son.”

“You're acting weird,” Jason repeated.

“Fine,” Marvin said. He glanced around the room and dropped his voice to a whisper. “So, you know how Trina confiscated your chess board because she thought you were getting to obsessed?” Jason nodded, looking up at Marvin, expectantly. “Well, I found my old one in the attic. I thought maybe we could have some father-son chess games while Trina and Mendel are out.”

“Yes!” Jason agreed, hugging his dad and nodding his head again.

“Just don't tell your mother,” he said, “she would never forgive me.”

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 11 AM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

Mendel knocked on the door, which was opened by a smiling Cordelia. “Mendel!” She yelled, pulling him into a hug. “Hi, how are you? I haven't seen you for months.”

Mendel laughed nervously. He didn't know Cordelia very well, he just knew her as the woman who taught Jason's cooking class. “Yeah, hi,” he said. “I was just going to drop off this.” He held up the basket that once contained cookies Cordelia and Jason had made together. “Trina said you might want it back and she's out with Jason so she sent me.”

Cordelia smiled, taking the basket. “You don't need an excuse to drop by. Come in.”

“I really shouldn't,” he said, trying to think of an excuse not to socialise.

“I insist,” she said, grinning. For some reason Mendel couldn't say no to that smile.

Once inside, Cordelia immediately offered Mendel something to eat, which he turned down, explaining that he was on a diet. Cordelia nodded in understanding, offering him a seat on the couch.

“Do you want a drink?” she asked from the kitchen, inspecting the fridge. “We've got literally nothing cold. Whizzer was supposed to go shopping but he's not up yet.” She closed the fridge. “We've got tea and coffee.”

“Tea would be nice,” he said.

Cordelia nodded, boiling the kettle and sitting down next to him. “So, how are you?”

“Good,” he said.

“No work today?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Nope. You neither, I guess.”

She nodded. “How was pride?”

“Good,” he said. “Jason was sad that you couldn't come, but he had a lot of fun.”

Cordelia smiled. “Well, how about we all go next year? All seven of us.”

“Seven?” Mendel asked. “Who's-”

“Cordelia, why is there someone here?” a voice said from behind him. Mendel turned around to see a shirtless man at the bottom of the stairs. His hair was a mess and he was dressed in just a pair of pink boxer shorts. “I thought we agreed on no visitors before I wake up.” He spoke through a yawn then walked into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.

“I present Whizzer Brown,” Cordelia explained to Mendel. “Our very gay and slightly irritating roommate.”

“I heard that!” Whizzer yelled from the kitchen. “The kettle's boiled, by the way. Who wanted tea?”

“Mendel did,” Cordelia told him.

Whizzer walked back into the living room, handing Mendel a cup of tea and taking a sip of his coffee. “Mendel? As in Trina's husband?”

“That's me,” Mendel said, waving. He stuck his arm out for a handshake. “Mendel Weisenbachfeld.”

“Whizzer Brown,” Whizzer shook his hand.

“Whizzer, go put some clothes on,” Cordelia said.

Whizzer groaned. “There's no point. I'm just going back to bed after this.”

“No, you're not,” she said. “You're going out and buying us food. We're out of literally everything except cake.”

“Ugh, fine.” Whizzer chugged his coffee then made his way back upstairs to his room.

Cordelia and Mendel sat in silence for a moment before Mendel spoke. “So, that's Whizzer?”

“Yep,” Cordelia said. “The one and only.”

Mendel laughed. “We found some old photo albums in the basement yesterday,” he said. “Photos of you, Whizzer, Marvin and Trina in college,” he took a sip of his tea. “2007.”

“Oh, no,” she sighed. “What was I doing?”

“It wasn't you,” Mendel assured her. “Marvin was the one being embarrassed. Jason found it very amusing how bad at being straight Marvin was.”

Cordelia laughed. “He was terrible. What were the pictures of?”

Mendel thought for a moment. “Marvin and Trina's wedding, you and Whizzer at pride, Whizzer's top surgery, and to be honest, most of them were of Marvin and Whizzer acting really gay.”

“Yeah, they did that a lot,” Cordelia said. “Whizzer literally just found out about Marvin's queerness yesterday, though.”

“Ugh, stop exposing me,” Whizzer complained, returning to the room, now fully dressed. “I knew he was gay, I just didn't think he'd ever come out.” He sat down next to Cordelia. “Speaking of coming out,” he turned to look at Mendel, “I heard you're bisexual.”  
“He didn't hear,” Cordelia said, “he saw. On Marvin's Instagram, which he was stalking.”

Mendel laughed nervously. “I feel like you're asking for my coming out story,” he said.

“That's exactly what I'm doing,” Whizzer smiled. “It can't be worse than mine.”

“Me and Whizzer were both kicked out because of our queerness,” Cordelia explained. “How about you?”

“I'm, uh… still in contact with my parents,” Mendel offered. “My coming out story is just… very humiliating and embarrassing.”

“You don't have to tell us,” Cordelia said.

“Yes, you do,” Whizzer said. “Tell us every word.”

Mendel hesitated for a moment. “Uh… I came out to my parents when they discovered gay porn on my computer while I was at my friend Nicole's house-” he was cut off by laughter from both of the others. “… while I was at my friend Nicole's house choreographing a hip hop dance.”

Whizzer burst into hysterical laughter. “Seems like a hat on a hat,” he said through laughter, making Cordelia laugh even harder.

“Right,” Mendel continued, “which is why I was shocked because I thought they already knew.”

“You're bi, though,” said Cordelia. “Couldn't you just, like, watch straight porn and enjoy both… things.”

“Sexuality is fluid,” said Mendel, “and I was in a very gay part of my life.”

“My whole life is gay,” Whizzer said in monotone. “Sorry, please continue.”

Mendel sighed. “I literally just met you. I can't believe I'm telling you this.”

“We won't tell anyone,” Cordelia reassured him. “So tell us every detail.”

“So, I thought they already knew then I got a call when I was, like, mid shoulder-brush from my mother being like ' _Where are you?'_ and I was like _'I'm at Nicole's house!'_ and she was like _'You need to come home now.'_ And I went home-”

“They confronted you about this?” Whizzer asked.

“About finding porn on the family computer?” Mendel asked. “ _Yes.”_

“How old were you?” Cordelia asked.

Mendel thought for a moment. “Like, fifteen. Maybe fourteen.”

“Well, yeah,” Whizzer said. “Oh shit, I'd already been kicked out by then. Sorry. Keep going. If this was a novel, I would read the shit out of it.”

“So, I went home after we finished the dance,” he continued, “and I walked into the house and it's pitch black, and I just see the back-lit shadow of my mother in the corner of the kitchen just like...” he folded his arms and made a face, trying to do an impression of his mother.

“It's so dramatic,” said Whizzer. “I love it.”

“She brings me down and rather than having a nice 'let's talk about this' she starts, like, bringing up, she starts like opening up all the websites and I don't know what to do and I'm like, _'Ew! What is that? That's disgusting!'_ Meanwhile, I'm like, _'Yep, Tuesday, yep, Wednesday, Thursday I didn't do anything, and Friday.'_ And then my dad comes downstairs in his tighty-wightys and he's like _'Mendel, if it's yours, just tell us.'_ And-”

“If it's yours?” Whizzer asked.

“Yep,” Mendel continued. “But, hold on. Hold on. They found this, like, weird fax, like a document nobody recognised and I was like, _'Well, obviously someone hacked into our computer!'”_

“Oh, my god,” Cordelia laughed.

“And they believed me,” Mendel finished, smiling. He felt weirdly proud of that story now he'd told it.

“Well, that is the best coming out story I've ever heard,” said Whizzer, standing up. “Now, I believe I have some food to pick up.”

Cordelia fished into her pocket and pulled out a shopping list, handing it to Whizzer. “Don't forget anything,” she told him.

“I won't,” he reassured her.

 

Whizzer didn't forget anything. But he also didn't take it home straight away. He ended up buying himself three new shirts and a drink at a coffee shop. His waiter was hot but also obviously very straight. Whizzer stayed in the coffee shop for a while. He got his phone out and opened up Instagram. Marvin's account was still visible in his recently viewed accounts. He tapped on Marvin's account and, this time, had a proper look. The first thing he noticed was that Marvin had a verified account. He decided to investigate this further. He read Marvin's bio. It was short but made Whizzer laugh. It read: _“Me? A gay Broadway actor? It's more likely than you think.”_ After Whizzer had gotten over the fact that Marvin was actually familiar with memes, his mind finally picked up on the Broadway actor thing. He looked through the posts on Marvin's account. Most of the photos were of him with his family and friends, but there were some about his career. Apparently Marvin had played Emmett in Legally Blonde, William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!, Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Whizzer scrolled further down and found a post about Marvin's Broadway debut. He had played Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon.

Whizzer set his phone down on the desk and sighed. Marvin had changed _a lot._

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 12:30 PM, Pizza Hut** _

 

After driving around the city, trying to find somewhere to eat that was healthy, kosher and Jason-approved, Trina gave in to Jason's complaints and parked outside Pizza Hut. They were directed to a table for two. After ordering, Trina reached across the table and took Jason's hand. “I'm sorry it took so long to find somewhere to eat,” she said.

“It's fine,” he said. “We're here now.” They sat in an awkward silence for a long time while they ate. “Why did you marry dad if you knew he was gay?” Jason finally asked.

Trina was shocked at the question. She folded her arms across her body and looked down at her food. “Well, I didn't exactly _know_ he was gay,” she explained. “I had my suspicions, but he told me that he was straight and he said he loved me and my parents liked him and his parents liked me. It seemed like a good idea to stay with him. But, really, I was just waiting for him to leave me for a man. I thought it would happen before things got too serious, but suddenly I was pregnant, then we were married and I knew I was in too deep but if I said anything and he wasn't gay, I would've come off as homophobic and...” she shivered at the memory, “well, it just, sort of, all happened too fast and I don't think either of us could control it.” Jason didn't seem satisfied with the explanation. “But, Jason, if I'd left him before I got pregnant, you wouldn't be here. And if I hadn't married him, maybe he would've never come out. Maybe he never would've quit law school. I'm the one who told him to pursue acting. I guess in the end, we were both leading each other on. I think I was about as attracted to him as he was to me. I'm just glad we both felt the same about the divorce, and that we could continue being friends.”

“Dad's life is kind of sad, though, isn't it?” Jason asked. “He's a thirty-one year-old man who lives with his ex-wife and her husband and shares a bunk bed with his ten-year-old son.” Trina laughed a bit. “I mean, I'm not complaining about dad living with us, but he's a successful actor. It's kind of weird how he hasn't moved out yet.”

“It was supposed to be temporary,” Trina said. “But he's fine with living with us and we're fine with him. It's not weird anymore. It used to be _so weird._ ”

 

_**14 th February, 2015, 1:30 AM, The Weisenbachfeld House (pre-Weisenbachfeld)** _

 

_Trina dragged her boyfriend into the house, hanging up her coat and offering to take his, too._

“ _Nice, uh, hallway,” Mendel said,_ shrugging off his coat and handing it to her.

_She smiled, hanging the coat up. “Thanks.” She kissed him on the cheek and took his hand, cocking her head towards the bedroom. His eyes lit up and he nodded his head eagerly, following her into the room._

_The bedroom was pitch black, but they managed to find the bed. Their mouths connected and their hands roamed each others' bodies and suddenly Mendel's shirt was off and Trina was on the bed, Mendel on top of her._

_That was when something made them stop. Someone had turned the light on and was clearing their throat. Mendel and Trina turned their heads to the corner of the room where Marvin sat in an armchair. He had tears in his eyes and he looked mortified and distraught._

“ _Marvin,” Trina pushed Mendel off from on top of her, sitting up on the bed, “what the actual fuck?”_

_Marvin sniffed. “He broke up with me. On fucking Valentines' Day. I was waiting for you to come back.”_

_Trina put her head in her hands, trying not to show the full extent of her anger in front of Mendel. “Marvin, that's terrible, but couldn't you have waited for me in the living room or something?”_

“ _Sorry,” Marvin stood up. “I'll go wake Jason up. He always supports me.”_

_Mendel waited for Marvin to be out of the room before he spoke. “Your roommate?” He asked._

“ _Ex,” Marvin said, entering the room again. “Ex-husband actually.”  
“Marvin-” Trina started._

_Marvin cut her off. “Calm down. I forgot my tissues.” He walked over to his armchair and picked up his box of tissues._

“ _You live with your ex-husband?” Mendel asked, glancing between the two._

_Marvin nodded. “We've been divorced for five years, though, so it's all cool. Plus I'm really gay, so that also makes it not awkward.”_

“ _Is there anything not awkward about this situation?” Trina asked._

_Marvin sighed, walking towards the door. “I'm leaving. I'm leaving.” He paused at the doorway, turning around. “Have fun. Don't be too loud. Stay safe. Do you need condoms? I have condoms if you need some.”_

“ _MARVIN!” Trina yelled. This time he actually exited the room, leaving the new couple alone._

 

_Needless to say, no one had sex that night and it was the worst Valentine's Day of Trina's life. Mendel did, however, stay the night. Both him and Trina agreed that it was too late for him to go home._

_The following morning, Mendel found Marvin on the couch, drinking a cup of coffee, twelve empty cups on the floor next to him._

“ _Uh,” Mendel started, “can I ask what's going on?”_

“ _I'm drinking to forget,” Marvin gestured to the empty coffee cups._

_Mendel cocked an eyebrow. “Drinking… coffee to forget?”_

_Marvin nodded. “Sorry about last night. I'm a shitty person.”_

“ _No,” Mendel said, shuffling his feet awkwardly, “it's fine. You got dumped. On Valentine's Day, of all days. Heartbreak fucks up the mind.”_

“ _My mind was pretty fucked last night,” Marvin agreed. “We should probably, like, pretend that never happened.”_

_Mendel laughed. “I'm a psychiatrist so I probably should tell you it's good to talk about things,” he said. “But, on this occasion, since I'm involved, let's agree to never speak of it again.”_

 

 

_**26 th June 2017, 1:00 PM, Coffee Shop** _

 

Jason and Trina, having finished their meal, got up and left the restaurant. Trina drove to a coffee shop. She knew the people who worked there. They could look after Jason while she bought food. Jason found shopping incredibly boring and probably wouldn't want to tag along.

“Will you be alright here?” Trina asked before she left.

Jason nodded. “I'm nearly eleven. I can look after myself.”

“I know,” Trina said. “I just worry about you.” She stood up, ready to leave. “Don't talk to strangers,” she reminded him. “And stay here.”

“I know,” Jason sighed, having heard the same thing a million times before. “I won't go anywhere.”

“Good,” she said, kissing him on the head. “I love you.”  
“Love you too, mom.” Jason took a book out of his bag and started reading.

 

After reading for a while, Jason decided to order himself something to eat with the money Trina had given him. He sat back down at his table with his food and glanced around the room while he ate. Most people were eating or talking to other people. One man was focused intensely on his phone, a look of shock on his face. He sat in the corner of the coffee shop, taking up a four-person table all by himself. He sat in a relaxed position, his feet up on a chair on the opposite side of the table. Jason could only see him from the side, but he was sure he recognised the man from somewhere. He slowly made subtle movements in his seat, trying to get a better look at the man's face. He inched his chair more in the man's direction and even moved tables three times, but he still couldn't remember where he knew the man from.

Losing his patience, Jason finally decided to ask his mom's friend, one of the waitresses.

“Jason!” The woman hugged him. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Jason nodded. He pointed in the man's direction. “Do you know who that is?”

The waitress shook her head, a confused look on her face. “No. Any reason?”

Jason shrugged. “I'm pretty sure I know him. I'm just really annoyed that I can't remember how.”

“Sorry, I don't know him,” she said. “He's been here for about three hours, just staring at his phone. We should probably ask him to leave but he's got that look on his face, like his whole life has been a lie or something.”

Jason waited for her to walk away, then made his way over to the man's table. Trina had told him to not talk to strangers, but if he recognised the guy, did he really count as a stranger? He slowly approached the table, sliding into the chair opposite the man. His eyes were still fixed on his phone. He seemed to not notice the young boy who had joined his table. Now that Jason had a good view of the man's face, he recognised him even more but he still couldn't put a name to his face. Losing his patience, he loudly faked a cough, causing the phone to drop out of the man's hands, making a clattering noise. Jason tilted his head to look at the screen and laughed.

“Why are you stalking my dad's Instagram?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYO I WROTE A NEW CHAPTER  
> yeah so i wrote words. i'm going on holiday on monday through friday so i won't be able to write then. i might be able to write on saturday and sunday, but then the following monday and tuesday i have a musical theatre workshop that lasts for two whole days so i won't be able to write either.  
> also yes, i gave Mendel the same coming out story as Brandon. i originally wanted to give it to marvin or whizzer but i thought it would add to mendel's awkwardness.  
> also i tried to keep the shows marvin has been in true to what christian has been in but i had to slide some sneaky book of mormon in there  
> so yeah i hope you enjoyed this and have a good day/week/non-specific period of time


	3. 26th June 2017: A Much Awaited Reunion (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason asks too many questions and Whizzer is an oversharer. And the whole family is chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been able to write for a long time. I've been focused on school and rehearsal.

_**26 th June 2017, 1:30 PM, Coffee Shop** _

 

“Why are you stalking my dad's Instagram?” The kid raised an eyebrow.

Whizzer's jaw dropped. “I… uh…”

“Seriously, dude,” the kid looked at the phone again. “This post is from three years ago. Who are you?”

Whizzer was silent for a moment before answering. “Whizzer Brown,” he said. “Photographer.”

The kid's eyes widened. “You went to college with my dad,” he realised.

Whizzer nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“I'm Jason,” he said, smiling. “Marvin's son.”

“Yeah,” Whizzer repeated. “I'm Whizzer.” He cringed at the realisation that he had repeated himself. “Sorry,” he said.

Jason smiled. “It's alright.”

Whizzer tapped his fingers on the table. “So,” he said, “what's it like having Marvin as a father?”

“Good,” Jason replied. “I mean, he's probably changed a lot since you knew him. I think he misses you.”

“He could've kept in touch,” Whizzer muttered, folding his arms and sighing.

“Sometimes it's hard for people,” Jason said. “I'm guessing you two were pretty close.”

Whizzer nodded and smiled sadly. “You could say that.”

“Come on, Whizzer,” Jason smiled. “I need blackmail material.”  
Whizzer laughed. “You're funny. I like you.”

Jason smiled. “You seem like a pretty good guy yourself, Whizzer.”

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 1:35 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

“Marvin!” Cordelia threw her arms around her friend, hugging the life out of him. “It's been too long. Why do you have to be so busy all the time? I've had, like, three conversations with you this year.”

Marvin struggled out of Cordelia's grasp. “I've been busy. But I'm free now. I'm taking a break from Broadway. I need to spend time with my family.”

“Smart,” Cordelia smiled, batting him on the head with a spoon. “Family comes first.”

Marvin laughed and rubbed his head where she'd hit him. “I mean, I'm still auditioning for stuff but I haven't got any callbacks so, until I do, I'm basically a full time dad.”

Cordelia grinned. “Make sure you're a _good_ full time dad. Don't be depressed, alcoholic, closeted dad Marvin.”

“I'm fun, gay dad Marvin,” he confirmed. “And I'm at least ten percent better than Mendel.”

Cordelia chucked. “Someone here might disagree.” She turned her head towards the kitchen. “MENDEL! GET YOUR FACE OUT OF THOSE CUPCAKES AND YOUR ASS HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Mendel walked slowly out of the kitchen, frosting and crumbs on his face and a box of cupcakes in his hands. “How did you know?”

Cordelia snatched the cupcakes from his arms. “Mendel, honey, I just know.” She turned to Marvin, holding the box in front of him. “Cupcake?”

Marvin happily took one and helped himself to a seat on the couch. “So, tell me, what brings Butthead the Third here?”

Cordelia cocked her head to one side. “Butthead the Third?”

Mendel stepped forward, awkwardly raising his hand. “Uh, that would be me.”

Marvin nodded. “The Butthead has spoken.”

“Why the third?” Cordelia asked, confused.

Marvin looked her dead in the eye. “Well, obviously there are other Buttheads. I'm the original Butthead. Jason has always called me that.” He smiled with pride. “You're looking at the original Butthead.”

“That's probably not something to be proud of,” Cordelia told him.

Mendel laughed. “I've been telling him that for about a year.”

Marvin ignored them. “Then Butthead the Second is Trina. Of course, that name isn't used for her much anymore. Jason only calls her a Butthead when she fails to understand memes.”

“And I'm Butthead the Third,” Mendel said. “Jason actually first called me Butthead the day we met.”  
“It's basically a rite of passage,” Marvin informed her. “When Jason calls you a Butthead, you know he's welcomed you into the family. And Mendel is the newest addition to the family.”

Mendel sighed. “Stop saying that. It makes me sound like a newborn baby.”

“We all know that's what you truly are on the inside,” Marvin stage whispered, before bursting into a fit laughter. Mendel and Cordelia exchanged glances. Cordelia raised an eyebrow in confusion, cocking her head towards Marvin. Mendel shrugged and mouthed “Don't question it.”

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 2:50 PM, Coffee Shop** _

 

“Jason, honey, I'm back,” Trina called, walking back through the doors of the coffee shop. One of the waitresses nodded her head in Jason's direction. Trina thanked her and made her way over to her son.

She heard two voices laughing, one recognisably her son's and the other obviously belonging to an older man. It sounded familiar but she couldn't remember where she'd heard it before. She stood around the corner from their table and listened to their conversation.

“Tell me more stories about my dad,” she heard Jason say.

“I don't know, kid,” the man said. “He used to be such an asshole.”

“But you two were friends,” Jason said. “According to that photo album, he was there for your top surgery, so you guys must have been close.”

“Eh,” he said. “Close-ish, I guess. We were roommates.”

It was only then that Trina realised who the voice belonged to. She stuck her head around the corner to take a look and saw Whizzer Brown. He hadn't aged much and he still looked as young as he did when they were in college – just with more defined features.

“Whizzer?” she asked, causing his head to swivel to face her.

He gasped and smiled. “Well, if it isn't Trina Richards. You look amazing.” He got up from his seat and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her. “I haven't seen you since your wedding,” he paused. “How was the divorce?” He smirked, releasing her from the hug.

She laughed. “It's actually Trina Weisenbachfeld now.” She flashed her wedding ring at him.

“My bad,” he said. “I met Mendel recently. He's a good guy. You're a lucky woman. Sit down.” He gestured the seat next to Jason and sat down in his own seat.

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“And Jason's a lucky kid, too,” Whizzer continued. “Damn, I would've killed to have two dads at his age. I bet it's great to have two queer dads who aren't queer together.”  
Jason shrugged. “It's okay. I still want the lesbians to adopt me.”

Trina sighed. “He's joking. We're good parents.”

“I'm not joking,” Jason objected.

“He's joking,” Trina repeated, laughing nervously.

Whizzer laughed. “Wait,” he said. “The lesbians? As in _the_ lesbians? Charlotte and Cordelia?”

Trina smiled. “Yes. You're still in touch with Delia?”

“Are you kidding?” Whizzer raised an eyebrow. “Trina, I _live_ with the lesbians.”

“Seriously?” Her eyes widened. “Since when?”

“2011,” he said. “God, it's been about six years. I had a bad breakup and got kicked out of his house. They let me stay with them 'temporarily'” he put air quotes around the word and laughed, “and I guess I just never moved out.”

Trina let out a short laugh. “How have I never seen you around the house?”

Whizzer shrugged. “I sleep a lot,” he laughed. “Hey, do you guys wanna go for ice cream?”

Jason nodded enthusiastically.

“I guess that would be okay,” Trina smiled.

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 3:30 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

The three friends sat in a small circle on the floor, a phone in the middle. “Never have I ever doubted my heterosexuality,” Mendel read from the app before bursting into laughter.

“What heterosexuality?” Marvin laughed, looking around the room. “Where is it and how did it get in?”

Cordelia cackled. “Hey, Marv, remember in college when we got this question and you didn't drink to it? Because I do and I knew you were lying.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Marvin laughed. “We've all been there.”

Mendel passed the phone to Cordelia, who read, “Never have I ever said 'I love you' without meaning it.”

Marvin glanced at the other two as they both glared at him. “Oof, that's me I guess.” He drank, then slammed the glass down on the floor. “Don't get me too drunk. Jason's coming over later. I'm not going to be drunk in front of my son.”

Cordelia cleared her throat. “It wouldn't be the first time.” She looked away, bringing her hand to her face, shielding herself from Marvin's glare.

Marvin sighed. “Delia, I know I was an ass once. God, I was an ass for the first _twenty-five_ fucking years of my life. I was completely toxic, but I've changed. Coming out changed me, Delia,” tears started to sting his eyes. “I've finally accepted myself, Delia. You know I have.”

She smiled. “I know. It's just hard for me. I've known you since you were nineteen and I remember everything you did.”

Marvin smiled back at her, tears still in his eyes. “So did I,” he leaned over and hugged her.

“I'm sorry.” Cordelia buried her face into Marvin's shoulder and cried. “I just… I worry that you're gonna go back to your old ways and I… I just… I don't know if any of us could deal with that.”

“Shhh,” Marvin whispered, rubbing her back to comfort her. “You don't have to explain yourself.” Marvin looked up to see Mendel shuffling awkwardly in his seat, watching them, not knowing what to do. “Come on, Weisenbachfeld,” he laughed through the tears. “Group hug time.” He extended an arm.

Mendel looked at him in shock. “I don't know,” he said. “I didn't even know you until last year. I kinda feel like I'm intruding.”

Cordelia lifted her head from Marvin's shoulder, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and smiling at Mendel. “C'mon, Butthead, we're all family here.”

Mendel sighed, but crawled over to the other two, wrapping his arms around them. “I guess this is happening now.”

Marvin laughed. “I love you guys. You know that, right?”

The other two nodded, smiling.

“Well,” Cordelia patted her friends on the shoulder, using them to hoist her up onto her feet. “Looks like the game's over.”

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 3:50 Ice Cream Place** _

 

“ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM!” Jason chanted, jumping up and down.

Trina laughed, shaking her head. “Honey, you might want to stop screaming before we go inside.”

“Ugh,” Jason groaned, folding his arms. “You ruin my life. You know who doesn't ruin my life? Whizzer. He's buying me ice cream. You know who's not buying me ice cream? You.”

Whizzer laughed. “Woah, kid. Be grateful you still have your mother.”

Trina looked at Whizzer with empathy. “I'm sorry.”

“It's fine,” he shrugged. “I'm over it.” He crouched down in front of the young boy. “Hey, kid. I don't usually just tell people this, but my parents kicked me out at the age of, like, let's say fourteen or fifteen for being transgender. You're a pretty lucky kid. You've got three loving and accepting parents and two amazing lesbian friends who will love you no matter what. I'd say acceptance is a lot more important than ice cream.”

Jason nodded. “Sorry, Whizzer.” He looked up at his mother. “Sorry, mom.”

Whizzer stood up, ruffling the kid's hair. “It's fine, kiddo. Just always remember how lucky you are to have a family like yours.” He smiled. “Now, who wants ice cream?”

 

“Ice cream comes pretty close to acceptance, amirite?” Whizzer laughed, sitting down at the table and handing out the ice cream to Trina and Jason.

Trina's hand immediately went to her bag, fishing around in it. “Let me pay you back,” she said.

Whizzer shook his head. “You don't have to do that.”

Trina sighed. “Please, Whizzer. No offence, but you're a thirty-year-old man who still has roommates. You can't be that financially stable.”

“I'm fine,” he said. “Honestly. I have a job and all that… jazz.”

She laughed. “Chicago reference?”

He nodded, smiling. “Oops.”

The two laughed.

“Did you meet Charlotte when you moved in with her and Delia, then?” Trina asked. “Or was it before that.”

“Oh, no,” he said. “It was way before.” He leaned in closer to Trina and Jason. “I'll let you in on a little secret,” he paused for a moment. “Are you ready for this? Are you ready? I'm enjoying the build-up… Honey, I was the reason they met.”

Trina laughed. “You're responsible for their relationship?”

Whizzer nodded proudly, before frowning. “Well, I mean, yes. But the reason I met Charlotte isn't exactly one I'm proud of.”

“What happened?” Jason asked.

“Jason!” Trina scolded. “Whizzer has probably shared enough personal information with us today.”

Whizzer shook his head. “It's fine. She was my doctor.”

“You were sick?” Jason asked, looking up at him with worried eyes. “Was it bad? Could you have died? If you died, I would've never met you and I wouldn't have got ice cream. Wait… are you still sick? Are you okay?”

Whizzer laughed reassuringly. “Do I look sick to you? I'm fine. I promise. I just got diagnosed with…” he looked up at the boy, then at Trina, “with… something back in April 2006. Cordelia came with me when I got diagnosed. Charlotte diagnosed me. They met in the waiting room, so I guess you've got me to thank. You're welcome.”

Jason smiled, then frowned again. “But what did you get diagnosed with?”

“Jason, eat your ice cream,” Trina said, leaning over to touch Whizzer's arm comfortingly.

“I'm fine, Jason. I'm on meds and I'm not planning on dying any time soon, so hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me now you know where I live.” Whizzer smiled.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed, still frowning.

Trina put her arm around Jason. “Whizzer's okay, honey. He just might not want to reveal all the details. You did just meet him today.”

“Okay,” Jason said, obviously not satisfied.

Whizzer smiled at him. “Hey, are you coming to the apartment tonight?”

Jason nodded. “We're coming for dinner.”

“Yeah, Cordelia mentioned we were having guests. She didn't say who,” he sighed. “The lesbians never tell me anything.”

“So we'll see you there?” Trina asked, starting to stand up.

Whizzer nodded. “Are you two doing anything else before? I can take you back to the apartment if you want.”

Jason grinned and nodded excitedly. “Thank you, Whizzer!” He leaned over and hugged the man.

“Oh, okay. This is happening.” Whizzer froze and awkwardly patted Jason's head.

“Not a hugger?” Trina asked.

Whizzer shook his head. “No, I like hugs. I just don't think I've been hugged by a kid since I was, well… a kid.” He laughed, relaxing and letting Jason hug him. “You know, I always wanted kids.”

“You're still young,” Trina said. “Just because I got pregnant at twenty-one it doesn't mean everyone has to. My parents didn't have kids until they were thirty-five.”

Whizzer shook his head. “It's not my age that's the problem. It's the fact that I'm a single gay man who still lives with his friends.”

Trina laughed. “Just look at Jason. He has three parents. A gay man and two lesbians wouldn't be such a bad environment for a kid to grow up in.” She shrugged. “It's better than a family of bigots.”

Whizzer smiled. “I guess. I mean, I always wanted to have kids when I was young. I wanted to, you know, still be considered cool when the kid was a teenager. But I was too focused on my transition.” He paused and grinned excitedly. “Ooh, did I tell you I got all the surgery?”

“You didn't,” Trina grinned back at him, pulling him into a hug. “I'm so proud of you.”

“I mean, I'd show you my dick, but that would be straight,” he said, then looked over at Jason. “… And there are children present. See, this is why I'd be a terrible dad.”

“You're no worse than my parents,” Jason grinned. “That's why I call them Butthead.”

Trina laughed. “It's true. He calls us Buttheads.”

“I'm not gonna ask,” Whizzer laughed.

Jason nodded. “Don't.”

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 4:30 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Marvin yelled, grinning. “WE'RE HAVING LINGUINE AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME?”

“Shh, Marv. Stop being a child.” Cordelia hit him on the head with her cookbook. “If I knew you liked linguine so much, I definitely would not have made it.”

Marvin gasped. “Child cruelty.”

She rolled her eyes. “You're literally a year older than me.” She smirked. “In fact, I'd probably feed everyone linguine except you and you'd just have to watch them eat and suffer.”

Marvin stared at her in shock. “You are cruel. How are you so good with kids but also so horrible?”

“I'm joking, Marv,” she said. “I wouldn't do that.”

“Well, you say that, but how can I know?”

“Children, please,” Mendel said, placing his hands on their shoulders. “Marvin, we both know that Cordelia is a lovely woman.” He turned to Cordelia. “Delia, be nice to Marvin. Don't torture him without me.” He walked away laughing and sat back down at the table. “When are Trina and Jason getting here?”

“It should be soon,” Marvin said. He laughed, looking down at his phone. “Jason sent me a picture of ice cream… with the caption 'It tastes like the feeling I get when you lose at chess.' What the fuck does that even mean?”

Mendel shrugged. “That you suck at chess?”

“Okay,” Marvin said. “Okay, first of all, have you ever played chess with me? Second of all, fuck you.”

“Boys,” Cordelia sighed. “Your son will be here in about an hour. Try to set a good example for him.”

“Fine,” Marvin sighed. He felt his phone vibrate and reached into his pocket, pulling it out again and laughing. He looked up at Mendel. “Oh, Mendel, you'll love this one.” He handed his phone over to the other man.

“Okay, I'm scared.” Mendel took the phone and read the text out loud. “Here it is. 'Dad, you're as good at chess as Mendel is at his job.' What's that supposed to mean?”

Marvin smirked, trying to hold in laughter. “I think you know what it means.”

“But I'm brilliant at my job,” Mendel objected.

“Sweetie, you're shit,” Cordelia said. “Sorry, but it's true.”

Mendel folded his arms across his chest. “I'm the best in this family.”

“You're the _only_ psychiatrist in the family,” Marvin said.

“Okay, fuck you, Marvin.”

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 4:35 PM, The Weisenbachfeld House** _

 

“Woah, you live here?” Whizzer asked, stepping through the door. “It's pretty nice.”

“Thanks,” Trina smiled. She crouched in front of Jason, taking his hand. “Jason, honey, do you want to give our guest a tour?”

“You don't have to,” Whizzer said.

“Yes I do,” Jason said, grabbing Whizzer's arm and dragging him around the house. He showed Whizzer around the house and showing him every room, giving Whizzer a fact about each room. “This is the kitchen. Mom had a breakdown here one time. It was kinda scary.”

“I'm not sure if you should be telling me that, Jason,” Whizzer said.

Jason shrugged and pulled Whizzer down to his height. “See that cupboard?” He pointed at a high up cupboard. Whizzer nodded. “That's where the cookies are kept,” Jason whispered. “Mom, dad and Mendel don't know that I know. Mom blames Mendel for all the food I steal. Don't tell her.” Before he could say anything, Jason dragged him out of the room and into another one. “This is the living room. It has a TV. We have a bunch of DVDs. That's pretty cool.” He dragged Whizzer upstairs and into a bedroom. “This is mom and Mendel's room. Don't look in that drawer.”

“Why?” Whizzer asked. He looked down at Jason, who was raising an eyebrow at him. “Oh. Oh right. Okay. Say no more.”

“You don't have to ask me twice,” Jason grabbed onto his arm again and pulled him into another room. This time he just said “Bathroom,” then ran out again.

“No interesting facts about the bathroom?” Whizzer asked.

Jason shrugged. “People poop in it.”

“Fair enough,” Whizzer laughed. “What's next?”

Jason grabbed his arm and pulled him into another bedroom. “Bedroom,” he announced, smiling. “Me and dad sleep here.”

Whizzer looked around the room, taking in the enormous amount of posters on the walls. Clothes and chess pieces were scattered all over the floor and a bunk bed was pushed against the wall, both bunks sporting colourful Star Wars bedding. “You share a room with your dad?” Whizzer asked.

“Yeah,” Jason nodded. “He sleeps on the top bunk. Next to the Rent poster.”

Whizzer looked up and, sure enough, his eyes met with those of Mark Cohen. “God, he sleeps with Mark staring into his soul?”

“Yep,” Jason smiled. “He's weird.”

“I'm going up,” Whizzer announced, climbing up the ladder and sitting in Marvin's bed.

Jason laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Inspecting the room,” Whizzer shrugged, lying down on the bed. “Surprisingly comfortable. Marvin's bed was never comfortable in college.” He rolled over onto his side and sniffed the pillow. “At least he smells nicer than he did in college.”

“Ew,” Jason made a face. “Stop creeping on my dad.”

“I'm not,” Whizzer said defensively. “I'm making a statement.” He sat up and dangled his long legs off the side of the bed. “Pass me one of his shirts up, Jason. I need to inspect his fashion sense.”

“You don't need to,” Jason said. “I can tell you it's terrible.”

Whizzer jumped down from the bed. “I'll take your word for it, kid.”

 

“Is this little dinner thing celebrating anything?” Jason asked his mother once him and Whizzer were back in the living room.

“I don't actually know,” she replied.

Whizzer took his phone out of his pocket. “Uh, according to the pride month calender I have screenshotted, it is the day for people questioning their gender or sexuality and, I mean, we've all been there.”

Trina nodded. “Even I had a girlfriend in high school.”

“Seriously?” Whizzer asked. “And you never told me?”

She shrugged. “Well, I never thought it was relevant since I only date guys now.”

“But still,” Whizzer groaned.

Jason looked down at his phone. “It's also Ariana Grande's birthday,” he offered. “And Aubrey Plaza's. Oh, and Sean Hayes'. That's a thing.”

“Ooh, we might be celebrating Will & Grace coming back,” Whizzer said.

“I don't think so,” Trina laughed. “I mean, it's been ten years since we saw each other. That might have something to do it.”

“I don't know,” Whizzer said. “Sounds unrealistic.”

“And a Will & Grace party doesn't?”

“Aw, come on, Trina. It sounded like a logical idea at the time,” Whizzer whined.

“Whizzer, 'the time' was a few seconds ago,” she laughed.

“Leave me alone.”

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 5:30 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

“You guys are worse than my cousin,” Cordelia sighed, watching Marvin and Mendel attempt to set the table for dinner. She whipped the fork from Mendel's hand. “ONE PERSON DOES NOT NEED THREE FORKS, YOU FUCKING IDIOT.”

“This is biphobia,” Mendel said monotonously. “I'm the minority in this room.”

Cordelia ignored him and ran over to Marvin. “MARV, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!” She yelled. “WE DON'T NEED TWELVE PLATES, YOU ASSHOLE.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, picking up some of the plates and putting them back where he found them. “Why isn't Charlotte helping?”

Cordelia sighed. “She just got home from work, unlike you two. And I love her so I'm not forcing her to do something she doesn't want to do. And if you two would fucking hurry up and behave like adults, we would be done by now.” She let out a long sigh and sat down on the floor, still holding a fork in her hand. “Someone go get Charlotte. Men are exhausting and I'm thankful to be a lesbian.”

“I'm on it,” Mendel put down everything he was holding and dashed into the living room where Charlotte was watching the news. A minute later, Charlotte was in the doorway, Mendel behind her.

“Where is she?” the woman asked, yawning.

Marvin pointed to the floor, where Cordelia was now half-asleep. Charlotte sat down on the floor next to her girlfriend. “Hey, Delia,” she whispered in a calming voice. “You okay, honey?”

Cordelia nodded her head weakly. “I just want everything to be perfect,” she sniffed. “It's the first time we've all been together like this. I need to make it memorable.”

“I know, I know,” Charlotte said. “C'mon, sit up.”

Cordelia sat up slightly, using her girlfriend for support. “But what if it all goes to shit and we all decide we hate each other and we-”

“Shh,” Charlotte cut her off, running her hands through Delia's hair. “Everything will be alright.”

 

\- - -

 

_**13 th June 2007, 12:05 PM, Big-Ass Field** _

 

“ _Everything will be alright,” Cordelia heard Whizzer whisper to Marvin before hugging him and pushing him towards Trina's parents. Whizzer sighed and made his way over to Trina, hugging her tightly. Cordelia felt tears drip from her best friend's eyes onto her shoulder. “I don't want him to get married, Delia.” Whizzer looked up at her, his eyes red with tears. “Is that selfish?”_

_She shook her head and hugged him tighter. “No, Whiz. The fact that you even came to the wedding is just so fucking brave of you.” She kissed the top of his head lightly. “I'm so proud of you. And for you to accept the role of best man… it's just so brave.”_

“ _I'm not his best man, Delia. I don't think best men are a thing in Jewish weddings. I mean, I wouldn't know. I got kicked out of my house before I could attend one. I was supposed to go to my aunt Dana's wedding but I got kicked out a month before. I'm still not sure what my parents told her.”_

“ _Hey,” Cordelia cupped his face in her hands, looking into his eyes. “They're not your family. They had their chance and they fucked it up. We're your family now. And you're not gonna lose touch with us when you go off to your fancy-ass art school. Marvin said he'd stay in touch when he goes off to his fancy-ass law school. Trina's got her teaching degree but she's not gonna lose sight of us. I've kinda been thinking of starting my own catering business. I can try to get started near your art school if you want.”_

_Whizzer shook his head. “You don't have to do that.”_

“ _But I will,” she smiled, hugging him. “I would do literally anything to make you happy, Whiz.”_

“ _Thank you,” Whizzer smiled._

_Someone tapped Cordelia on the shoulder, causing her to turn around. Facing her was a woman in her mid to late fifties with long, greying hair styled up above her head. She had dark brown eyes and was dressed in a black dress. “Sorry if I'm interrupting something,” she apologised. “I'm Hanna Greenberg. Trina's mother. Are you Cordelia?”_

_Cordelia nodded and smiled. “That's me.”_

“ _Her lesbian roommate, right?” Hanna asked._

_Cordelia nodded slowly. “Yes. That's a pretty good description of me.”_

“ _Well, I just wanted to say that, despite the fact that I don't really accept the homosexual lifestyle, I think it's terrible what your parents did to you and you're always welcome in our house.”_

_Whizzer and Cordelia exchanged glances. “Uh, thank you?” Cordelia said._

“ _I have four children,” Hanna explained. “No parent should kick their child out of their house. I know that if any of my children came out to me, I would be disappointed, but I would support them.”_

“ _Uh, good for your children,” Cordelia said. “How old are they?”_

“ _Well, you know Trina. She's twenty. Her brother Noah is thirty. Ian is sixteen and Leah is fourteen. They're all delightful of course,” she smiled._

_Cordelia smiled awkwardly back. “Well, if Ian and Leah turn out as well as Trina did, the world will be a wonderful place.”_

“ _I have to agree,” Hanna smiled. “Now, I believe I have a future son-in-law to talk to. Maybe I'll see you two around in the future?”_

“ _Maybe,” Cordelia smiled, waving. Her smile dropped as soon as Hanna turned her back._

“ _I don't accept the homosexual lifestyle,” Whizzer mimicked._

_Cordelia laughed. “She's trying. At least, I think she is.”_

“ _God,” Whizzer said. “Are we really letting an obviously gay man marry into that family?”_

_Cordelia put her arm around Whizzer and put her head on his shoulder. “It seems so. We'll just have to see what happens.”_

“ _He's making a mistake,” Whizzer sighed. “He knows he's making a mistake. Are we supposed to just act like this marriage isn't going to make him miserable?”_

_Cordelia sighed. “Divorce is always an option. It's like you said to Marvin. Everything will be alright.”_

_Whizzer scoffed. “Yeah, well, I was lying then.”_

“ _Everything might be alright,” she said._

“ _We can only hope.”_

 

\- - -

 

_**26 th June 2017, 5:50 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

 

Whizzer unlocked the door and let Trina, Jason and himself in. “WE'RE HERE!” Jason yelled.

“Jason!” Marvin ran up to the boy, plate in hand, lifting Jason off the ground and spinning him around. He put his son back down on his feet and ruffled his hair. “I missed you, kid.”

He looked up when he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Whizzer heard the sound of a plate smashing on the floor and turned around to face Marvin. Their eyes met and Whizzer saw that Marvin was full of shock.

“Hey, Marvin,” Whizzer smiled. “Long time, no see.”

Marvin's mouth hung open, a smashed plate at his feet and look of shock still in his eyes. “Whizzer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a thing. And, yes, the wedding took place in a big-ass field. I'm actually kinda proud of this. Tell me what you think in the comments. I now have a whole bunch of ideas for this story but if you guys have any lines or jokes you want me to sneak into the story, leave them in the comments and I might include some.  
> I hope you all have a great Halloween.


	4. 26th June 2017: A Much Awaited Reunion (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whizzer nudged Marvin. “Your son looks uncomfortable,” he whispered. “Wanna do something about it?”  
> “I'm his dad,” Marvin said in a panicked voice. “I only know how to initiate awkward conversations.”  
> Whizzer shrugged. “An awkward conversation is better than an awkward silence.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long I had exams.

_**26th June 2017, 5:50 PM, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

“What are you doing here?” Marvin's face was stricken with shock. “I mean… uh, hi?” He laughed nervously. “God, what do you say to someone after ten years?”

Whizzer laughed, suppressing the urge to hug Marvin. “Hi is good. And, for your information, I live here.”

Marvin froze. “Here? As in… here?”

“Yes,” Whizzer folded his arms across his chest. “I live here with my favourite lesbians.”

“Everyone's favourite lesbians,” Marvin corrected him.

“You got it,” Cordelia crept up behind Marvin. “Now, let's get you two awkward shits some food.” She grabbed their hands and guided them over to the table and pushing them down into chairs next to each other. Food was already on their plates. Whizzer looked around the table. Jason sat between Trina and Mendel, Trina trying to get him to eat politely and Mendel trying to stop her from bothering the kid. Charlotte and Cordelia sat next to each other, acting sickeningly romantic.

“Ha. Gay!” Marvin yelled as Charlotte kissed Cordelia on the cheek.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Oh, you're one to talk, Marv.”

Marvin chuckled. “Yeah, I am pretty gay.”

“Ooh, same,” Whizzer said quietly before stuffing his face with food. Marvin actually admitting his sexuality was surreal to Whizzer. He'd changed so much over the past ten years. Whizzer had heard that Marvin was no longer the closeted, selfish asshole he once was, but actually seeing Marvin being open about his sexuality was a strange experience.

Everyone ate in silence, someone occasionally commenting on the weather or the food or someone else's shirt. Whizzer looked over at Jason, who was leaning forward with his elbows on the table, looking down at his now-empty plate. Whizzer nudged Marvin. “Your son looks uncomfortable,” he whispered. “Wanna do something about it?”

“I'm his dad,” Marvin said in a panicked voice. “I only know how to initiate awkward conversations.”

Whizzer shrugged. “An awkward conversation is better than an awkward silence.”

“Lies,” Marvin hissed. “They're the same amount of awkward.”

Charlotte cleared her throat. “Anything you'd like to share with the rest of us, boys?”

Marvin and Whizzer looked at each other.

“The food's lovely,” Marvin smiled.

Cordelia beamed. “Thank you, Marv.”

 

Finishing his food, Marvin left the table, sitting down on the couch, Whizzer following closely behind him.

“What are you doing these days?” Marvin asked.

Whizzer sat down on the other side of the couch. “Photography,” he said. “Stuff like that.”

“Cool,” Marvin nodded. “How's the pay?”

“It depends,” Whizzer said. “I have a website where I sell my own photography. Like artistic shit, y'know?” Marvin nodded. “I charge $20 each. $25 if it's framed.”

“How many people buy it?” Marvin asked. Whizzer shrugged.

“Again, it depends. I also do wedding photos and family portraits. Some school photos and headshots… there was one year where I only did pet photo shoots for six months. I used to do fashion photography, but I quit because my fashion sense was constantly insulted.”

Marvin laughed. “That sounds like a reason you'd quit.”

“Stop bullying me,” Whizzer laughed. “Not all of us can be famous actors.”

“I wouldn't say famous,” Marvin said. He paused. “How long have you known about that?”

“A few days.”

“Awww, a new fan,” Marvin joked.

Whizzer gasped. “Excuse me, sir, but I was your first fan.”

“Debatable,” Marvin grinned.

 

_**26th June 2017, 6:00, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

“I wanna help,” Cordelia stopped mixing, turning around to see Jason looking up at her.

“You want to help?” She asked. “You wouldn’t rather talk to Whizzer or someone?”

Jason shook his head. “Whizzer’s talking to dad. I don’t wanna third wheel them.”

“Smart choice,” Cordelia laughed. “We’re making cookies for everyone.” She showed him the bowl. “I just started mixing so there’s not much left to do.”

Jason looked at the mixture for a moment. “Can we make them chocolate chip?” He looked up at her with an expectant smile. “Please.”

She laughed and shook her head slowly. “Okay, fine. Go find the chocolate chips.”

“Thank you!” Jason beamed at her then ran off, searching the cupboard.

 

Cordelia was laughing at Jason’s struggle to reach above the second shelf when she felt a pair of arms around her.

“Maybe someone should help the kid,” Charlotte said, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek.

“Nah,” Cordelia said. “He’ll ask for help if he wants it.”

Charlotte laughed. “I doubt it. He’s Marvin’s kid. I bet he’s just as stubborn.”

“True,” Cordelia smiled. She nudged Charlotte off her. “Go help the kid.”

Charlotte groaned. “Can’t you do it, Delia? You’re the chef.”

Cordelia chuckled. “Yes, I’m the chef so I’ll stay with the mixture. I don’t trust any of you… food ruffians in my precious baking station.” She pushed her girlfriend towards Jason, who was jumping up and down trying to reach the top shelf.

 

Charlotte looked behind her to see Cordelia walking back to her ‘baking station,’ as she called it. She waved and smiled innocently upon seeing Charlotte looking at her. Charlotte fixed her with a cold stare, which achieved nothing other than making Cordelia laugh. Charlotte sighed and turned away.

She tapped Jason on the shoulder. “Hey, kid. Want me to get that for you?”

Jason stared up at Charlotte, shaking his head and folding his arms. “I can get it.”

Charlotte laughed and reached her arm up, grabbing the box and handing it to Jason. “There you go, kid.” She ruffled his hair. “Go make us some cookies.”

“ONE DAY I’LL BE TALLER THAN ALL OF YOU!” Jason yelled as he walked away.

 

_**26th June 2017, 6:00, Charlotte, Cordelia and Whizzer's apartment** _

“How was law school?” Whizzer asked Marvin. “Shouldn’t you be like, a lawyer or something instead of an actor.”

Marvin laughed. “Oh yeah. That.”

“Come on,” Whizzer shifted his position on the couch into something more comfortable. “I’m listening.”

Marvin sighed. “I dropped out after two months,” he confessed, pulling his knees into his chest and hiding his face. “I went to see a bunch of musicals. I think it was West Side Story, then Moulin Rouge, then Chicago and I just couldn’t focus on school anymore because showtunes were always in my head so I just decided to drop out. I auditioned for a local production of Grease and I got cast as Doody and I guess I just… y’know, somehow made it to Broadway.”

Whizzer burst into laughter. “You make it sound so easy.”

Marvin shrugged. “I’m sorry. That’s what happened.”

“Show off,” Whizzer said in a sing-song voice. He sighed. “You’ve changed so much. Are you sure you’re not an imposter?”

Marvin laughed. “I’m quite sure, Whizzer.”

“Sorry. It’s just… you used to be so…y’know…”

“Straight?” Marvin asked, grinning.

“I was gonna say an asshole but that works too.” Marvin laughed.

“Speaking of the past, we found some old photo albums at the house. Do you want to see them?”

“What, now?” Whizzer asked.

Marvin nodded. "Yeah, now."

“Sure.”

Marvin announced to the rest of the family that they were leaving, and they left.

 

_**26th June 2017, 7:00, The Weisenbachfeld House** _

“These photos are… wow,” Whizzer laughed, flicking through a photo album. “Did I actually dress like this?”

Marvin laughed. “There’s photographic evidence. It must be true.”

“I had rainbow hair, too?” Whizzer laughed at the picture of his past self. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I would never do that now.”

Marvin raised an eyebrow. “You appreciate the sentiment? The sentiment of what?”

“Of the fact that I’m gay,” Whizzer said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Marvin shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the right use of ‘I appreciate the sentiment.’”

“Shut up, I know words.”

 

An hour passed, and they continued looking through photo albums.

“You were clearly gay,” Whizzer remarked, bringing the photo album closer to his face to have a better look at it.

“You’re only noticing that now?” Marvin laughed.

Whizzer shrugged. “You’re gayer now.”

“Thank you,” Marvin grinned.

The door opened, and Mendel, Trina and Jason entered the house.

“We’re back!” Jason announced, running up to Marvin to hug him as Mendel and Trina excused themselves to go and make some coffee.

“Hey, kid,” Marvin ruffled his hair. “I was just showing Whizzer those old photo albums.”

“You mean the ones where you look gay and angry all the time?” Jason laughed.

“Rude,” Marvin said.

“But you were gay and angry,” Whizzer said.

“Shut up,” Marvin laughed, hiding his face in his hands. “You don’t even live here.”

Whizzer gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder. “Speaking of which,” he said, “I should get going.”

“Aww, do you have to?” asked Jason.

“Please stay,” Marvin agreed with his son.

Whizzer smiled, standing up. “I’d love to stay, but I have to work tomorrow. This guy wants me to do a photoshoot of his rats dressed as Disney princesses. I’m not even sure how he got costumes that small.”

Jason started giggling suddenly. Marvin and Whizzer both looked at him. Jason beckoned them to come closer. When they did, he whispered to them, “Ratpunzel.” This sent the two men into fits of laughter.

“I feel like you’re just making jokes to get me to stay,” Whizzer said.

Marvin gasped and turned to Jason. “Good plan, kid. Keep telling jokes.”

Whizzer rolled his eyes. “Seriously, I have to go. But I will be repeating the Ratpunzel joke to the rat guy tomorrow.”

Marvin looked up at the taller man. “Can I borrow your phone?” he asked. Whizzer shrugged and passed Marvin his phone. Marvin passed it back a few seconds later. “There. Now you have my number. Call me if you want to talk again and finish catching up.”

Whizzer smiled. “I will.”

Marvin showed Whizzer to the door, opening it for him. “I’ll see you hopefully soon, then?”

“Definitely soon,” Whizzer confirmed, smiling.

“Good,” Marvin took a step closer to his friend and pulled him into a hug. Whizzer was startled at first, but eventually hugged him back.

“You’re so short,” Whizzer laughed.

“Excuse me, I’m 5’9,” Marvin objected.

“And I’m 6’1, bitch. Grow yourself some height,” Whizzer laughed as he released Marvin from the hug.

“Well, see you,” Marvin laughed. “I might have grown by then. Because it’s totally possible for a thirty-one-year-old man to have a growth spurt overnight.”

Whizzer laughed as he left the house. “Bye, Marv.”

“Bye, Whiz,” Marvin smiled at the other man. “See ya.”

Whizzer waved at him before closing the door behind him. Marvin stayed at the door, listening to his old friend’s footsteps until he couldn’t hear them anymore. He finally turned around, leaning his back on the door, still smiling.

“Ew,” Jason said, grimacing at his father. “You gave him your number and you hugged him? You’re basically married.”

“I don’t think that’s what constitutes a marriage, Jason.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. So this is a thing now I guess. I will try to update regularly. I'm really bad at that though. I'm hoping to get eight chapters. I've got the first three-ish planned out already. I just need to write them and decide what is even going to happen in the rest of the story.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy and comments are always appreciated.


End file.
